Fun and DysFUNction

Baby Katie

2011-07-05T14:58:00.002-04:00

Our sweet baby Katie came on June 6, 2011 at 7:24 pm. She weighed 7 lbs. 2 oz. The kids adore her and are so sweet with her.

I guess it is time...

2010-10-24T20:24:00.002-04:00

I guess it is time to post a blog. We have been so busy, but I will try to give a good update.

School started the end of August. I walked the girls to school and cried when Ashley entered the kindergarten doors. No looking back she just marched in. Brooke of course was more than happy to go back to school. She loves school!! Max and I just hang out now and try to get as much accomplished as I can.

Brooke was baptized in August and we are so happy that she made the decision to be baptized. She was so excited to be baptized.

I have been doing my best getting the kids where they need to go and keeping them well fed and clean. Mike is still working hard at BTJD and enjoys his job.

Right now I'm enjoying sitting at my table while the kids play with moon sand. Not exactly my favorite since it is very MESSY!!! But they have been sitting and talking to each other for the past half hour and are not getting bored so I'll take the mess.!!!

Life

2010-07-04T23:49:00.002-04:00

As I sit here with no one around, but me and my thoughts and the noise of fireworks outside I decided that maybe I should take a few minutes to update our blog. There is so much that has happened in the past 6 months: birthdays, our anniversary, other fun holidays like Easter, and Memorial Day, Mother's Day and Father's Day. The list goes on and on. I can't believe how quickly time goes by. As I think about that I get worried and think, "Do my kids know how much I love them?" Do they know that I have a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and the atonement and the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints?" Do I do enough with them that they'll always remember the fun things we did rather than the nagging of please clean your room or please go practice like I asked you too. This causes me stress and I often feel that I am not filling the role as a mother like they need me too or like I want too. Even though I don't feel adequate in the job I am doing I love my family so much and enjoy being with them.

In June Mike and I celebrated our 11th anniversary. Wow!! It is hard to believe that we have 3 kids and that we lived in Boston for 6 years. We have been through so much and I am happy that I have Mike by my side to help me raise the kids and to be my best friend. He has accomplished so much and I am proud of all that he has done. He always made his family and church a priority and everything else seemed to fall in place after some time.

Brooke is finally starting to get some of her adult teeth in. We have been calling her snaggle tooth for a while, but she takes it all in stride. She will be 8 on August 1 and will be baptized and we are so happy that she has made that decision. She is smart and beautiful and she always has such a quick smile. She'll be starting 3rd grade this fall and is happy that she doesn't have to move to a new school.

Ashley turned 5 and what a crack up!!!! She is hilarious. She picks up on jokes and phrases so quickly. One of her favorite movies is Monsters vs. Aliens. Her favorite line is "in fact I think that jello gave me the wrong phone number. She is looking forward to kindergarten. How do they grow up so quickly?

Max is a hand full. He is all boy. Everything he touches turns into a ball or a sword. I love there little imaginations. Yesterday he was playing with a stick and ended up scratching his eye (the cornea that is) and he was such a trooper. He is what we call our little surfer boy. He is tan and has curly white hair and looks like he belongs on some warm beach. He is definately a momma's boy.

There has obviously been many more things that I could say, but it would take much too long to write. Here are some random pictures so enjoy.

2010-06-13T23:36:00.002-04:00

Here are some more pictures.

We're Back!

2010-06-13T23:21:00.003-04:00

After a six month hiatus we have decided to return and update our blog. Things are going well. As you can see from the pictures we got a trampoline and can't seem to get the kids off of it. They jump for a few minutes then run to the swings and then run back and jump. It is nice to have them want to be outside so much. Now if we could only get the weather to cooperate.

Brooke finished second grade and was awarded the Golden Falcon Award. She was very proud and gave us a big toothless smile as she received her certificate. Ashley is getting geared up for Kindergarten and asks on a daily basis when we are moving back to Boston. (Sorry kid, we are staying here for a while). Max is learning to communicate and has learned to scream MOMMY!!!! WHERE ARE YOU? in the middle of the night . . . what a pleasant alarm clock. When he gets past this stage we will need to buy a rooster just to keep things real.

For anyone who cares

2010-01-08T11:57:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned in our first installment today we have been super busy. Just for and update on the happenings of our family Mike still loves his job!!!! He is very busy, but he really enjoys it. He hopes to have more time to go golfing this year because he did not get to go last year. He loves wrestling with the kids and chasing them around the house. He is very patient and a great husband and father.

I have been busy trying to get my house organized and keeping up with the kids. Mike and I have also been trying to get our house all painted. We have spent many late nights painting, but it is now paying off. We have almost the whole main level of our house painted and it looks awesome. I am in the Orchestra on Temple Square and it has been such a great opportunity for me to play my viola!! I do love it.

Brooke is in the second grade and she loves school. She is doing very well and she is so confident which is great since she really struggled last year. She loves her little brother and sister and they love her so much as well. When she get home from school she is often tackled with hugs from them.

Ashley is in preschool and loves her teacher. She has learned so much this year. She is a riot and is cracking us up constantly. The other day she called her Grandma Wood and said, "Will you come pick me up and take me shopping?" She loves to go shopping!!!

Max is a busy little boy. He loves balls!!! Basketball, football, baseball any ball!!! Yesterday I was at Costco and he had brought in a little basketball. He kept saying hi to everyone and then showing them his ball and saying ball. Then as I was ready to checkout he layed down on the floor with his basketball in hand and yelled touch down, touch down. Obviously we need to help him learn the right lingo for each game.

Happy Pictures

2010-01-08T11:47:00.003-05:00

Mike made me a book for Christmas entitled Happy!! We are a happy family and he put some of these pictures into my book. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

My birthday

2010-01-08T11:44:00.002-05:00

Mike really wanted to take me to Disneyland for my birthday, but because we bought our house we were not able to go so we did a Disney birthday at home.

More random pictures

2010-01-08T11:37:00.003-05:00

Some of these pictures were taken on a family reunion last August.

Excuses, Excuses

2010-01-08T11:24:00.002-05:00

So I do have a lot of excuses as to why it has been so long since I have blogged. I think I enjoy looking at other blogs rather than updating my own and we moved yet again. I really do hate moving. Anyhow, we have been in our new house since November and we really do enjoy owning a home. We love having a fenced in backyard with a swing set (trampoline will be coming this spring for sure!!!!) and we love that our kids each have there own bedrooms. We finally have space and it is super great. Here are some pictures of random things.

Are you for real????

2009-08-10T16:53:00.002-04:00

Last week I had an experience that made me feel very discouraged. Let me preface the whole situation. I called this woman in the morning because I needed to be fitted for a dress to be in an orchestra. I called her the morning on the day that the fitting was scheduled. Mind you there was no call by date or anything I was just told to call her. So anyhow while talking to her on the phone she started lecturing me that I should call earlier and implied that I was a rude person. I felt upset by the whole situation because all she needed to so was to say I'm sorry but I need advance notice for this. I would have been fine with that. I did not need a lecture!!! The whole day I was thinking to myself get over it everything is fine. Forgive, forget and move on. So I did, but then that night I got there and I was there right on time. I was being very courteous and told her I was sorry. After I tried on the dresses I found what I thought looked great on me. I went out and said I like this and she said well try on a smaller size. I was greatful for that, but then when I came back out to have her make sure that it looked all right she said well your tummy will go down after you get up and chase after your kids more. I was like, "Are you for real????" I did not say anything because I was shocked. I have lost over 30 pounds since January. I still have 5 more to go, but really? I could not believe that she said that. I mean really!!!! I left as soon as I could because I was so shocked. Anyhow it has caused me some grief these past few days and I'm struggling to get over this. I was feeling so great about what I had accomplished and was feeling real great because I'm getting so much faster in my running and I have more energy to chase after the kids and then she implies that I'm fat. Good grief. I need to get over it so if anyone has suggestions on how to move on please feel free to share.

Another funny thing.....

2009-08-01T00:43:00.002-04:00

After swimming lessons last night we stayed and played for family swim time. We had such a great time with the kids. When it was time to go Brooke had to go to the bathroom. Since it had been a long time I said, "Ashley why don't you come with us to the bathroom?" Her reply was this and very loud, "Because I all ready peed in my swimsuit." Well at that point it was too late to do anything but laugh!!! Sorry for all those who went swimming while we were there. When you gotta go you gotta go!!!

Death by Halogen Lamp

2009-07-31T00:50:00.005-04:00

While Carol and I were updating the blog, this poor fly flew into the room and was drawn toward the halogen lamp next to the couch. One moment later, we saw smoke rising from the lamp and the fly had met its end. Goodbye fly.

We are still alive.

2009-07-31T00:33:00.005-04:00

So much has happened since we last posted. We did make it to Utah. Yes it was a long drive and yes I would do it again! The highlight of our trip was stopping in Minnesota and staying with the Teeples. They were so gracious and we had such a great time!!!!!

Since coming to Utah we have been so busy. Mike worked and studied for the Utah BAR while I tried unsuccessfully to unpack and keep the kids happy and busy.

Mike did take the bar and so today we went hiking at donut falls and then we stayed after the kids swimming lessons to play. We have had such a fun day. The kids loved being outdoors. Max did not want to stay in the back pack we borrowed he wanted to run with the girls. We did let him down and he was so happy to be free to run and pick up the rocks. I was amazed at how well he kept up.

On our way to swimming lessons today we said to Ashley look at the fire truck (which was right out her window, big and yellow, couldn't miss it) and she said exasperated, "but I can't see it" to which we all laughed.

Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment.

Funny conversation

2009-05-03T21:16:00.003-04:00

On our way home today from church we had quite the conversation with the girls. Brooke said, "Why is it called a sleepover when you're supposed to stay awake?" I replied yea they should call it a wake-over. That got Mike laughing. Anyhow Brooke started to ask if she could have a sleepover and I said, "Let's wait until we get to Utah and then we can have a slumber party at our new house." Of course she was excited about this. Then I said we could have the party downstairs and everyone could sleep in a sleeping bag. This got the juices flowing and she and Ashley were in the back saying, "We'll do make up and paint our nails and eat m & m's and have a pillow fight." Ashley said, "and we can play Star Wars and I'll be Luke." Brooke said, "We'll all have to be Princess Leah because we are all girls." Ashley said, "but I want to be Luke." Anyhow Mike and I were laughing so hard because they were throwing out all these fun ideas. It will be fun to have some space to do some of these things that the girls have only heard of.

Random pictures!!!

2009-05-03T21:09:00.003-04:00

Brooke lost her first tooth.
Best friends!!!!!! I love this picture.
They sure love dresses. I have no idea where that love came from!!!
Max is past crawling, but I thought this was cute.

2009-05-03T20:57:00.004-04:00

On April 25th we celebrated Max's 1st birthday!!!! Its so much fun to have these great kids!!

In April we celebrated 2 birthdays!!!!!! Ashley turned 4 on April 9th. We celebrated her birthday on the 18th and had a great Star Wars birthday party. Mike even made light sabers for everyone and they each got to do a Jedi training course and fight Darth Vader.

2009-04-26T20:49:00.002-04:00

This video is from a few months ago but was definitely blogworthy.

Beach days are returning

2009-04-26T20:46:00.001-04:00

The beach is called us, so we answered.

All in a days work

2009-03-31T22:07:00.002-04:00

Hahahahaha. So I can't get my pictures to come up on the blog. We have never had this problem before. Sorry. I will try to figure it out and get some pictures posted. For now you'll just have to trust me when I say that my kids are adorable!!!!

Blogging is not my talent!!

2009-03-31T21:40:00.003-04:00

Blogging is not my talent. That is a no brainer!!! I am going to post a few pictures and give a few updates.

Brooke has lost two teeth!!! Ashley can sing the Star Wars song in tune!!! Max walks!!! Mike survived a 5k run on Saturday!!! I have survived 3 months of sick kids!!!

Kids grow sooo fast!!!!

2009-02-23T19:48:00.003-05:00

Brooke woke up last week with a loose tooth and today she lost it!!! I can't believe we are old enough to have a child old enough to lose a tooth. It has been hilarious to watch her be so giddy about it. Ever since she started kindergarten she has been asking me when she would get a loose tooth and it took her until she was 6 and a half.

Ashley is as sweet as ever. I have no idea what to do with her. Her interests are legos and playing in the bucket of wheat. I need a playground for her and a backyard to come with it. Maybe my wish will come true in the next year or so.

Max is trying to walk. He constantly is watching Brooke and Ashley and wants to join in with them. He is cracking us up. He gets so excited that he tries to run. He had his nine month check up last week and he weighs 23 pounds and is 30.5 inches long. He weighs half as much as Brooke. I also took him to get some shoes and he needed a size 6 wide.

Since the "secret" is no longer a secret we are moving back to Utah. Mike has a great job at a firm in Sandy and we are very excited. We really wanted to surprise our families and just show up, but Mike was too excited and the girls found out so we decided to tell them yesterday. We are taking a road trip with the girls out there when it is time to go. We are so excited to do this because we have never taken a family vacation with just the 5 of us. We are excited to show the girls different church history sites and we are looking forward to doing a whole lot of swimming. We hope all is well. I hope to get some pictures of everyone put on the blog this weekend.

The funny things our kids are doing

2009-02-08T21:08:00.002-05:00

Max is trying to run these days. He took his first 3 steps today and it was dang cute!!!!! He is crawling so fast and it is so much fun to watch him. He loves to wrestle and watch his sisters play. He dances to music and makes as much noise as he can whether its banging things or yelling at me to pick him up. He enjoys eating way too much, but it is nice to have a child that will eat.

Ashley is always keeping us on our toes and keeps us smiling. Today Mike was asking the girls if we ever move into a house if they would want to share a room or have a room of their own. Of course Brooke's reply was quick and she said she would want her own room. Little Ash sat for a minute thinking about it and then she said, "When Brooke gets out of bed and goes downstairs in the middle of the night IT WILLY BUGS ME!!!" So she obviously wants her own room. One day when we win the lottery and get a 4 bedroom house then they will each have their own room.

Brooke has the oldest child syndrome and is quite bossy!!! She is a big helper with Max though and she is starting to help out more and I really appreciate it. She is an awesome speller and loves doing math. She has also showed more interest in reading and writing. She is a great little student and her teacher says that she is one of the most courteous and respectful students that she has and that makes me so happy. She really struggled with the bus last semester so we now take her and pick her up which makes us all a whole lot happier!!!

Mike is busy doing school. He really enjoys all that he is learning in the tax program at BU. He helps out so much on the weekends and when he is here and I feel so blessed to have that help. He "wants" (more like I want him to do this with me for fun!!!! hehehe) to do a half marathon with me in May, but we'll see if he'll be able to pull it off. He says he'll ride his bike.

I am busy with Relief Society and the kids. I'm not teaching as much and I feel much calmer now that I only have to leave once a week to teach instead of teaching 4 days a week. I am enjoying training for the half marathon in May and yes I will run it. I have been training with a friend that lives in my apartment complex. It has been nice to have a training buddy because I have not had one since before I got married.

I will try to get some pictures up this week.

We love you all!!!

Good Things!!!

2009-01-08T22:44:00.002-05:00

So the other day Mike was talking with the girls around the dinner table. Ashley was on his lap. Mike asked Ashley what she wanted to be when she grew up and her reply was, "A Sand Picker"!!! We laughed so hard. No ballerina, dancer, doctor just a sand picker!!! I love that about Ashley she is her own little person and does not let others influence her. I hope that she continues this forever!!!!

Ashley will be Ashley

2008-12-30T21:19:00.001-05:00

I just love this little girl!!

Brooke's Christmas Concert

2008-12-30T21:13:00.002-05:00

Brooke had a blast doing this performance. The school does a great job at adding music and dance to there program.

Some fun pictures to enjoy!!!

2008-12-30T21:09:00.002-05:00

Here are some fun pictures to enjoy!!!

Merry Christmas

2008-12-30T20:43:00.002-05:00

I love Christmas time. It is a wonderful time of year. A time to enjoy family and reflecting on all that has happened during the year. Since we are a dysfunctional family Christmas cards were never sent and so I thought that this would be a good opportunity to update everyone on the happenings in the Giles Family.

Mike has been busy this year!!! He quit his job and decided to go back to school to learn more about the LAW of all things. He is earning his LLM in taxation at BU School of Law. Basically he is specializing in tax law. That is the best I can explain it. He is really enjoying being back in school and he is doing a great job. He does his best to juggle family and school.

Carol has been teaching a lot this year. She has taken the kids many miles to do so. At times she wonders if it is worth it. She would like to take lessons again and after Mike is done with school she will find a teacher so she can take lessons again. She convinced Mike to run a half marathon with her in May so they are both training for it. She is very excited about this because for the last 9 1/2 years of marriage she has been trying to convince him that running is fun. Maybe this race will help him to realize how much fun it can be.

Brooke loves school. She has an awesome teacher I have so much respect and admiration for. Brooke still loves singing and dancing. She is a good example to those around her and she tries so hard to be good. Her favorite food is Pasta. She loves her siblings and is often found entertaining them. Brooke loves church and often asks questions on how she can strengthen her testimony. She is such a good example to me.

Ashley has been doing Joy School and loves it. She is a busy body and the only time you'll see her sitting still is when she is asleep. She is learning that having a younger sibling can be fun. She is my big helper during the day. She'll often grab the phone for me during the day when I'm busy with Max. She really keeps us on our toes. Ashley is my chocaholic and often asks to have chocolate chips for breakfast!! When did I let this happen?

Max has been so much fun. We have had a blast getting to know this little person. He is such and affectionate little boy. Every morning when I get him out of bed he gives me a hug. He is always so happy and laughs when his sisters play with him. He loves to play the piano and I often put him in his seat next to it and let him play it while I try to get things accomplished around the house.

As a family we are constantly trying to help each other be happy and successful. We love spending time together and playing games. We are all a little house hungry, but we are happy that we have a big apartment and understanding neighbors.

We love you all and wish you the happiest New Year.

Love,

The Giles

2008-12-14T22:48:00.001-05:00

Tonight for family home evening we had a funny face contest. These are the winners.

Sleep at last!!!

2008-11-22T22:43:00.002-05:00

So after 6 years I finally got more than 4 hours of sleep. All 3 kids slept through the night. Max has learned to sleep through the night and the girls well lets just say I have been bribing them with quarters to sleep through the night and it works!!!!! I may not get a full nights sleep every night, but at least I now know that it is possible.

Playing in the rain

2008-10-31T19:42:00.002-04:00

Something that we really enjoy is taking our shoes off and playing in the puddles after a good rain storm. How unfortunate that is coming to an end since it is getting cold. We look for the biggest puddle and then we start jumping and running through it. Sometimes Ashley likes to try to swim in it and lays down and gets all wet. Brooke on the other hand likes to stay clean and opts just to get her feet wet and then she comes inside and cleans them.

Counting

2008-10-31T19:38:00.002-04:00

Ashley has a new hobby counting spoons. She takes every spoon out of the drawer and lines them up on the counter and then she counts them. She sure has a good time doing this!!! The only tough part is the cleaning up. I usually end up washing all of them.

One Sunday of kids staying clean and cute!!

2008-10-31T19:30:00.002-04:00

I took this picture of the kids on Sunday afternoon. This is one of those time when being a mother brings me so much joy and happiness. My kids are so great and I often find them teaching me things. They so easily forgive when I do stupid things and they are so willing to love me when I am grumpy and tired. They love being together and playing together. We do have so much fun as a family.

Just for fun

2008-10-31T19:22:00.002-04:00

I decided that since Max is in bed (has been for and hour and it is only 7:25) and Mike took the girls trick or treating I would post some more. I hope that everyone is having a great Halloween!!! So a few weeks ago Ashley had her cute footy pj's on and Mike decided to stuff it with pillows. This is what she looked like.

Apple Picking

2008-10-26T21:53:00.003-04:00

The first Saturday in October we took the kids Apple Picking. We went to Parlee Farm and we had a hay ride and enjoyed eating yummy apples.

Someday we'll get this down

2008-10-26T21:24:00.004-04:00

Hello family and friends,

We have been so very busy!!! Life is so exciting, but I feel that all we do is go, go, go!!! I get excited when we have some down time and can just chill out and watch a movie!!! Anyhow we do enjoy life and our kids. We love them so much and learn from them each day. Brooke did a great job in the primary program today. She read her part perfectly. She knew most of the words in the songs. Brooke loves helping out with Max. She asks me each day if she can sit and hold him. Max is getting stronger each day. He can sit up by himself without help and he has also been going to sleep on his own at bedtime. He has a love for water and enjoys his bath. Ashley these days is still drumming to her own drum and I love that!! Last week she was teaching the nursery the march song from Star Wars. I do sing her primary songs, but she does not want to teach them those songs. Sorry this is so long winded. I'll put some pictures on since that is what you want to see anyhow!!!

"Queen" of the Nursery

2008-09-14T22:23:00.003-04:00

Ashley, the sweet girl that she is, created a big following in nursery this week. I went to pick her up after Priesthood meeting and the nursery leaders were all laughing. They said, "Do you know what song Ashley taught everybody today?" My mind immediately reviewed all of the songs that we were listening to in the car this week and I could picture in my mind the kids all singing some U2. A bit nervous about what song my sweet little girl was singing I asked them to tell me.
"We will Rock You" was the answer. I could picture all the kids standing in a line, stamping their feet and clapping as they sang the chorus to the song. The nursery leaders said that after a while they decided to change the lyrics and encouraged the kids to sing "We will help you." Somehow I got the feeling that they were less than successful.

Our New Neighbors

2008-09-14T22:12:00.005-04:00

We recently moved into a new apartment. Durng the move in I noticed a bird's nest on the deck light fixture. I lifted Brooke up to look inside of it and she saw baby birds. She said, "They are bald. . . That's weird." I reached up and took this picture.

Unfortunately, the mother bird did not like us looking at her babies so every time we tried to go out on the deck we would get attacked. We were kept from enjoying our deck for a good part of the summer. FInally the babies grew up and flew away and we were able to remove the nest.

I was amazed to see how clean the inside of the nest was. THe birds were not so kind to our deck ( I wil spare you the photos of that mess).

. . . and starring Max as Buster Bunny

2008-09-14T22:04:00.002-04:00

Max is getting so big. At his Dr's appointment last week he weighed 17 pounds and is wearing his 6-9 months clothes. It is hard to keep up with is constant need for bigger clothes. Thankfully we have very generous friends. (Thanks ladies!)

Back to School

2008-09-14T21:37:00.006-04:00

Brooke and Mike returned to school last week. When Brooke got home she was greeted with a huge hug from her sister.

When I got home I got . . . Well, see for yourself.

Just Kidding, I received a great big hug from my sweet wife, but she was the only one that was awake. I usually get back from school at 9:00 p.m. and it takes me about two hours to unwind.

Going back to the law tower was very strange because I am sitting back in the same exact seat in the lecture hall where I spent my first year of law school. In some ways it is like returning to the first year of law school. I have six classes that require 3-5 hours of reading per week in addition to the two hour classroom lecture. It seems a bit overwhelming but I am sure it will be worth it.

Hello, Hello!!!

2008-09-07T21:38:00.002-04:00

Hopefully we will have some pictures up soon. It has been a very busy summer!!!! We've had two computer that took a turn for the worst and completely died. The kids are growing like crazy!!! They sure keep me on my toes with a bunch of questions that I do not always want to answer. Tonight we were having family night and we were discussing faith. Brooke said, "I have this much faith!" (She held out her arms to show us. Then she said, "I have so much faith I can walk on water!!!" Mike and I could not help laughing. She was truly serious and I admire the amount of faith my 6 year old has. She told us that she says prayers at school and on the bus to help her to not feel scared. She is such a great example to me and I adore her.

Ashley is a handful these days. She is always seeing how far she can push Brooke and then she starts to laugh. It is quite funny and I often have to leave the room and laugh and then I go back in and let Ashley know that her behavior is not okay!! She will start joy school in the next couple of weeks which she is so excited about!!! She wants to climb on to the bus with Brooke everyday. She is always asking me how long it is before Brooke comes home from school.

Mike has started school again and loves it!!! He is going to BU to get and LLM in tax. If you want to know what exactly that involves you'll have to ask him because what he is learning goes right over my head. I'm so greatful for the great husband that he is. He works so hard to support our family and he tries so hard to make sure that I am happy which is a full time job in itself. I don't know how he does it!!!

Max is getting so big and he enjoys eating!!! At his 4 month check up this past week he was 27 inches tall and weighed 17 pounds. He brings so much joy into our home as well as many sleepless nights!! Not sure what to do with the sleep thing. I do enjoy holding him and feeling the spirit which he has. It is so great to hold a newborn and realize that they were with Heavenly Father not too long ago.

I am a busy mom trying to make sure that my family is happy. I don't feel like I always succeed, but I learn new things each day and am greatful for the opportunity I have to be a stay at home mom!!!

As soon as I figure out how to use this new computer I will post some new pictures.

We love you all...

Sorry for the lack of posting!!

2008-07-20T22:58:00.001-04:00

We have had a few crazy weeks!! Our main computer crashed last week and so we have lost alot of pictures and Mike has the camera at work. We'll try to get some things posted soon, but it may take us a month since we'll be moving and then out of town. Hope all is well.

Oh the things kids say!!

2008-07-02T10:15:00.002-04:00

Last night as the kids were brushing there teeth in there bathroom Mike smelled an interesting smell. He looked in the little potty that we used for Ashley that we still have not put away and he found pee that had not been cleaned out. Ashley every once and a while still uses it only she does not clean it out. Mike said who did this? Brooke said "not me." And immediately after Brooke said that Ashley said "me either" Mike looked at Ashley and said, "You didn't?" And her reply was "Max must have done it!!" WE all laughed so hard. Hope you are all doing well.

Carol

Brooke has pizazz!!

2008-06-27T21:53:00.002-04:00

Brooke has been wanting to wear this outfit all the time!! This picture is for Angi!

Grandpa and Max taking a nap!!

2008-06-27T21:50:00.002-04:00

This was a rare moment when Grandpa Wood came. Normally Max would cry when Grandpa would hold him, but in this picture I caught both of them sleeping.

Max update

2008-06-27T21:15:00.002-04:00

Hello all!! Max had his 2 month check up today. I found out why my back hurts all the time and it is because he weighs 13 pounds 4 ounces!! He is also 24 inches long. He is doing really well. I half jokingly asked the doctor if I could start feeding him steak, but he told me no!! Anyhow here are a few pictures of our little line backer.

Other fun pictures

2008-06-22T21:00:00.002-04:00

Brooke and Ashley with there new swimsuits

2008-06-22T20:57:00.002-04:00

Grandma Wood sent these with Grandpa for the girls.

Grandpa and Max

2008-06-22T20:55:00.003-04:00

Grandpa Wood came to help out with the kids. The only time Max will let him hold him is when Grandpa has a bottle to feed him.

Update on the Giles Family

2008-06-22T20:46:00.003-04:00

Hello friends and family. It has been a while since we have had an opportunity to update. Going from 2 kids to 3 kids has been quite an adjustment. On top of that we are trying to get ready to move to a bigger apartment in 4 weeks. It will be nice to have the extra space, but it will be interesting trying to get things packed!!!

The kids are growing by leaps and bounds each day. Max is up to 13 pounds now and he still thinks he needs to eat every 3 hours at night. The girls are for the most part settled and they have been doing much better.

Here are some fun pictures. We hope you enjoy them.

Ashley's dance recital

2008-05-25T21:37:00.004-04:00

This is Ashley's dance concert. Thanks Angi for making it the most memorable dance recital I have been to. I was not aware that it was possible to teach a three-year-old the "robot!"

Our brother's keepers

2008-05-25T21:32:00.002-04:00

The girls really love to help out. They are doing a great job and helping out.

4 weeks later

2008-05-25T21:25:00.002-04:00

Life is still crazy around here. I call it the Giles family circus. I'm trying to keep a sense of humor. Sometimes it helps and sometimes I just cry. Despite a huge lack of sleep we are truly enjoying our sweet angel!! Max has the sweetest disposition. He still LOVES to eat and he still HATES taking a bath. He is showing that he is a boy through and through at such a young age!!

INTRODUCING MAXWELL JONATHON(little Max)

2008-05-04T14:24:00.008-04:00

Little Max arrived strong a beautiful on April 25 at 1:44 pm. He started knocking on the door after breakfast and he was here in time for lunch, just like we planned it. He is a very calm baby and enjoys his time sleeping and eating. Bath time or diaper changing time is not his favorite but he will appreciate it soon, we hope.

Our two bedroom apartment is bursting at the seems with all of the great stuff that comes along with a new baby. All of our friends have been so generous with their time and food. We really appreciate the help. Reinforcements, Carol's mom, arrived on Saturday so hopefully we can all get a little more sleep this week. Thank you all for the gifts and support. We will keep you updated as our little family grows.

Max's sisters love spending time with him and are very helpful. They hold him every chance they get.

Ashley's birthday morning

2008-04-13T22:14:00.003-04:00

On Ashley's birthday she opened her presents from mom and dad. She ate fruit loops and then played with her new toys.

Our make a million quick idea

2008-04-13T22:10:00.002-04:00

Brooke decided that she would use toilet paper to draw some pictures. So I decided I could market it. It is quite cute and it only costs $9.99.

Brooke's pirate ship

2008-04-13T22:06:00.003-04:00

Brooke has really started to be quite the artist. This week she drew and colored this picture.

Ashley's Birthday Party

2008-04-13T21:56:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we had a pajama/pancake birthday party for Ashley's third birthday. We had a lot of fun. She had a cute pony cake that Mike decorated and she had 6 friends come for the occasion. She received some fun toys and she and Brooke ended up having fun playing with the toys.

Update

2008-03-23T21:52:00.002-04:00

Dear family and friends,

I am trying to learn how to be somewhat computer savvy. Hopefully I can learn how to do this so that we can keep you updated with pictures. Sorry the layout is somewhat boring. It will take me time to figure this out.

Brooke is in Kindergarten and loves it. She is growing up so fast and learning so much. She is very excited to have a little brother coming. Brooke and Ashley love to play together. They are such good friends. Brooke enjoys dancing and coloring. She'll start soccer on April 5th and she is so excited.

Ashley is busy!! I sometimes don't know how to keep up with her. She enjoys dressing up and collecting rocks. She has a rock pile out by the bus stop that she works on building up everyday while we wait for the bus to bring Brooke home. She loves to make people laugh.

Mike is busy working. We often don't see him during the week, but we do look forward to having him home on the weekends. Mike has been playing some church ball and the girls look forward to going to the church to play while he plays basketball.

As for me I'm busy teaching violin, viola, and piano. We are currently looking into getting a piano so that I can teach at home. Right now we drive to other peoples houses 4 days a week. The girls are so good and they try hard to not complain about having to be on the go.

We hope you are all doing well. Maybe I'll get more pictures up this week. Maybe I won't.

Oh what do you do in the winter time???

2008-03-23T21:46:00.002-04:00

Winter can be long and boring!!!! We try to have a good time by finger painting. This activity can get a little out of hand. It was an occasion where I thought to myself do I get mad or do I take pictures and laugh. I decided the latter option was probably the best.

Decorating Easter Eggs

2008-03-23T21:38:00.002-04:00

This is the first year in our married life and with kids that we have ever dyed Easter Eggs. In fact we didn't even know how to hard boil the eggs so we looked to good old Betty Crocker to help us out!!! The girls had so much fun. We discovered that Ashley likes to eat the hard boiled eggs. Kelly joined us for the occasion and we had a great time.

One more Easter Dress

2008-03-23T21:27:00.002-04:00

Daddy took us out to Target last week and let us pick out our new dresses. We had so much fun and we love to dance in them. They are our "princess dresses".

2008-03-21T22:54:00.003-04:00

You have heard of Charlie's Angels? These are our angels, angels with attitude! Trust me, they don't hold back when they get into a sword fight. ARRGGHHH!

Easter Dresses

2008-03-21T22:34:00.004-04:00

We have received several easter dresses this year. Thank you Grandmas and Grandpas.

2007-10-28T14:35:00.000-04:00

We just finished a week with Charlotte and Michaela. It was so much fun to have them here. We went to the children's museum and the aquarium and had two different halloween parties. At one of the Halloween parties brooke won an award for the best costume. She was really surprised and excited that she won. Her prize was a free movie ticket to the local theater.
Enjoy the pictures from this week. We love and miss you all.

2007-10-07T11:52:00.000-04:00

This picture is a riddle. Can you figure it out?
If you figure out the riddle, respond to this posting. The winner gets bragging rights of being the first to know.
we miss and love you all.
Mike

the frog pond

2007-10-07T11:48:00.000-04:00

We are enjoying the long weekend together. We went downtown yesterday morning and had fun playing at the frog pond.
we miss and love you all.
Mike

2007-09-29T23:44:00.000-04:00

We're Kind Of New At This

2007-09-29T23:27:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone!!
We are pleased to have you visit our blog. I would like to thank Becky for turning us on to this cool service. This will be an easy way to keep everyone up to date on what is going on in the great North Eastern section of our country. And we might tell ya a little bit about our family too!

We are still trying to get used to Brooke being in school. The other day, Ashley cried when Brooke left for school. Carol says that Ashley gets pretty bored without her big sister to play with. However, Carol and Ashley find plenty to do while Brooke is at school including frequent role changes when Ashley will tell Carol, "I the mommy. You sit down and I read books." These instructions are usually followed by Ashley "reading" 5 to 10 books to Carol. Dad gets the opposite treatment. The other day I went into their room while Ashley was sitting on the chair reading books and she said five words, "Get out. I read books."

Brooke really enjoys school and has caught the spelling bug. We are constantly telling her how to spell words that she wants to write next to the pictures she has drawn. She loves school and happily gets up every morning and rides the bus. Even after getting sent home on the wrong bus during the first week of school.

I will add more later. We miss you.